What does fondue mean?
Fondue is a noun denoting a dish of melted food kept warm in a communal pot over a flame, into which diners dip morsels on long-stemmed forks. Its classic form is Swiss cheese fondue, made from Gruyère or similar alpine cheeses melted with wine, in which crusty bread is dipped; popular variants include chocolate fondue for dipping fruit and desserts, and fondue bourguignonne, where pieces of beef are cooked in hot oil at the table. The word comes from French fondre, meaning 'to melt', and entered English usage in the nineteenth century before its mid-twentieth-century surge in popularity. Fondue strongly connotes sociability and shared eating — it is inherently a group dish — and it retains a nostalgic association with retro dinner parties as well as cozy winter gatherings in the Alps.
nounA dish of melted cheese or chocolate, typically served in a communal pot over a heat source, into which pieces of bread, fruit, or other foods are dipped using long-stemmed forks. It can also refer to a similar dish of hot oil in which pieces of meat are cooked at the table.
- A dish of melted cheese into which bread is dipped on long forks, eaten communally.
- A dessert dish of melted chocolate used for dipping fruit or sweets.
- A dish of hot oil in which pieces of meat are cooked at the table.
"The guests gathered around the pot of bubbling cheese fondue, spearing cubes of crusty bread on their forks."
"On cold winter evenings, the Swiss village restaurant served a traditional Gruyère fondue."
"She ended the dinner with a rich chocolate fondue surrounded by strawberries and marshmallows."
Standard pluralization; used when referring to several pots, servings, or types of fondue.
"The menu offers fondues made with three different regional cheeses."
Born as a thrifty Alpine way to use up hardened winter cheese, fondue became a national symbol of Switzerland and conquered dinner parties worldwide.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fondue
Fondue derives from the French verb fondre, meaning 'to melt', ultimately from the Latin fundere, 'to pour' or 'to melt'. In French, 'fondue' is the feminine past participle of fondre, literally meaning 'melted'. The culinary term was borrowed into English in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century to describe dishes made with melted cheese. Cognates from the same Latin root include 'fusion', 'founder', and 'effusion'.
How fondue is actually used
Fondue carries strong connotations of conviviality and informality, evoking 1970s dinner-party culture as much as Alpine tradition. It is a concrete noun referring to a prepared dish rather than an ingredient; when speaking generically, 'cheese fondue' or 'chocolate fondue' is usually specified.
Easily confused with fondue
'Fondu' is a ballet term describing the lowering of the body by bending the supporting knee (and a variant spelling of the culinary word), whereas 'fondue' is the standard spelling for the melted-cheese dish.